


Application

by SerialKillerQueen



Series: Guiding Star [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: (No one you care about), Character Death Fix, Don't copy to another site, Empathy, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Link, Other, Post-Season/Series 03, Supernatural Elements, Telepathy, This is getting plotty y'all, not major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 21:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21232613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerialKillerQueen/pseuds/SerialKillerQueen
Summary: Billy finds the FBC, he begins to find answers.





	Application

In 1986 Billy was brought back to life by a being he didn’t understand.

(But he grows to trust her, it’s hard, he already shared his body with another creature and he carries the scars and always will, but eventually he realizes Polaris doesn’t intend to hurt him. That she has his back in a way no one ever has).

He cut off his hair, changed his clothes to hide his scars, and he ran from Hawkins, he ran from the lab he woke up in and the people that tried to keep him there.

He’s never stopped running, and he swears that he sees people watching him sometimes, feels their eyes on him whenever he’s not hidden away in some shitty motel.

Every time he knows they’re there, he runs, packing up his sparse belongings and disappearing into a crowd, to another city, another state.

In 1993 Polaris leads him to New York, consistently nudging him in its direction until he gives in.

She has no words but they’ve learned how to communicate, and he’s _never_ seen her so insistent, because of that he doesn’t doubt that he has to go.

There's a lot of walking and public transport involved, he hasn’t had a car since he was 18, even if it wouldn’t call attention to him that he wasn’t willing to have, he couldn’t replace his baby, that car was the love of his shitty life.

There’s a flash of blue then a gentle gray behind his eyelids (indignant/amused/fond).

_Tied with you Polaris, tied with you._

Another flash of gray and he grins slightly. 

He sees the faint, shifting, bright, manifestation of his partner and then a building that wasn’t there (or was it in the corner of his eye the whole time?) appears.

Time to look behind the curtain again, for the first time since Hawkins.

The building is large, and… cold, an office like space with the words “Federal Bureau of Control” emblazoned in a logo on the floor.

There’s so many color flashes as he looks at that that he’s not able to interpret exactly what she’s feeling.

It’s not reassuring, he knows that.

After a bit of walking he realizes he underestimated exactly how big this place is, it’s not large, it’s fucking gigantic, and utterly empty.

It should not be empty.

There’s another manifestation that draws his attention to the pictures on the wall.

“Head of Research. Dr. Casper Darling.”

“What a name,” under his breath.

The picture beside it is of a man with his back turned to him, wearing what appears to be a janitorial outfit.

“Our bureau at work.”

The next picture is of an older man wearing glasses… There’s something unsettling about him.

“Director Zachariah Trench.”

He already dislikes the idea this guy is in charge.

A bit further and a paper catches his attention, something about… a shark? Most of it’s redacted and actually that may be for the better.

Eventually singing reaches his ears, and there’s the janitor from the picture.

He’s singing a song that is coming from the walkman attached to his belt, something not in English, he’s not sure what language it is, and he’s mopping the floor, utterly unbothered.

Polaris flashes white and then a gentle pink (trust/affection). Not things she directs at most people. He doesn’t know how she knows this guy but her regard matters to him.

“Hello?”

He continues singing (he has a noticeable accent) and Billy takes a step forward, starting to reach for him when he turns suddenly.

“There you are. You are here about the job.”

_Not last time I checked._

“Janitor’s assistant. You need to go to the interview.”

The older man points, “Go that way to the elevator.”

His brow furrows slightly, “I’m -”

Polaris tugs insistently again and he falls silent.

“Okay. I’ll go.”

“Very good. I’m Ahti, the janitor, by the way. You’ll work for me. You can say I sent you.”

Ahti’s lip ticks up slightly, wrinkled face scrunching in the process.

“If they don’t hire you, niin johan on helvetti. There be work for the axe, take them behind the sauna, jumalauta.”

And with _that_ he resumes mopping.

Billy’s worked a lot of jobs over the last 7 years, plenty of night shifts and “lower” positions, it can make you come across as weird, he gets it. 

_He’s a friendly face in our book._

“Better than somebody with no face at all,” Ahti laughs, “Think about it, no face.” 

Did he just -

Well, if there _is_ an axe murderer around, it’s going to be him, trust or not.

An elevator ride later and Polaris has been oddly still.

_Did I lose you there for a moment?_

His vision shifts, familiar, reassuring.

_You already know what’s on my mind: I thought it was Owens that’s been following me… Maybe I’ve been wrong._

Another shift and a flash of gray.

Yes. It’s a yes, he’s been running from the _wrong_ people. 

Further into the corridor and there’s another picture of Trench on the wall, and a sign; Director’s Office.

May as well burst in on the boss, why not?

BANG!

_What the hell was that?!_

It came from behind the director’s office door.

He’s not as surprised as he could be to see Trench laying on the floor, blood pooling around his head, a gun in his hand.

Well. Fuck. 

Polaris manifests over the gun, insistent, demanding.

_You want me to pick up the murder weapon? Are you serious?_

She doesn’t relent.

“If someone sees us with this it's not going to be easy to explain…”

His fingers wrap around the gun and everything _changes._

** < Testing testing testing. We are broadcasting from the Pyramid/Other. Only the Director can wield. The Gun/Sword/Intentionally left blank. > ******

** **** **

** **** **

He raises the gun to his temple.

** < Your Application will be processed. > **

There’s no more peeking around the curtain. It’s been lifted.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah the dreaded plot rears its ugly head. We're only a few minutes into Control's timeline as well, this is a nightmare, but not as much of a nightmare as formatting it is! Also look me in the eye, I would die for Ahti, I love him so much.  
For a reference for Billy's current hair;  
https://twitter.com/trashgrove/status/1185103974090698752  
(That is ONLY the hair, I don't view him as having the tattoos or his scars looking exactly like that, I didn't make the art and won't try to claim its designs. It's lovely though!)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!


End file.
